An easy and delicious crab quiche, with fresh herbs and Gruyere or Swiss cheese. Perfect for any time of year or any time of day!
Why you’ll love this crab quiche recipe
- This delicious quiche is filled with crabmeat, combined with lots of fresh herbs and nutty Gruyere cheese (or Swiss, if you prefer).
- It bakes up beautifully with the additional chives on top, which make for a pretty presentation for entertaining.
- Using store-bought pie shells makes this quiche wonderfully easy!
Key Ingredients
Crab – I love real, lump crab meat, either canned or frozen. If the cost is prohibitive where you live, you can substitute “mock” crab for a similar flavour profile.
If you can’t find crab or it is cost prohibitive, you can substitute thawed, frozen cooked shrimp.
Herbs – Fresh herbs are best here, if possible. I even love the cilantro in this one, even though I’m not always a fan. I’ve provided some options and amounts for substituting dried herbs in the Recipe Card, as well.
Cheese – I love the nutty flavour of Gruyere cheese and it will always be my first choice for this quiche. Alternately, go with Swiss or Emmental cheese, which is usually more economical and has a similar flavour profile.
Half and Half Cream – this is the 10% b.f. cream. I find it provides just the right amount of richness to this quiche. You can substitute milk, but the results will be less creamy of course, you can also substitute a heavier cream, for a richer quiche. A combination of heavy cream and milk would reasonably replicate the half and half cream, as well.
Pie Shell – I love the convenience of using store-bought pie shells, but you can certainly make your own pie shell, if you prefer.
Cook’s Notes
- I have not found that I need to par-bake the pie shell, but if you prefer, you can par-bake the empty pie shell for 8-10 minutes, let cool, then fill and bake.
Making Ahead, Storage and Freezing
I find quiche holds up well making ahead and re-heating to serve. To re-heat, place onto a baking sheet and loosely cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Pop into a 350F oven until just warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
This quiche keeps well in the fridge or freezer, so don’t hesitate to double the recipe and make two, to have an extra to enjoy later.
Quiche freezes well up to 3 months.
More quiche recipes you might also like …
Get the Recipe: Crab Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch (1 9-inch) frozen deep dish pie shell, thawed, unbaked
Filling:
- 5 large (5 large) eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (340 ml) half and half cream, 10% b.f.
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, plus whole chives for topping, or 1/2 tsp dried
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, or 1/2 tsp dried
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, or 1/2 tsp dried, or omit and use more parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, or substitute a pinch of celery salt and a pinch of paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup (227 ml) Gruyere cheese, grated, or substitute Swiss or Emmental
- 1/2 lb. (227 g) lump crabmeat, canned or thawed if frozen, and picked over
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. (not fan assisted) with rack in the centre of the oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, herbs and seasoning. Stir in grated cheese and crabmeat.
- Pour the egg mixture into thawed, unbaked pie crust (you may have a tiny bit of filling that won't fit). Use a fork to gently distribute the crab and herbs evenly in the pan. Lay several whole chives across the top.
- Bake quiche until filling puffs and is no longer wobbly in centre when quiche is gently shaken, about 40-45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Delicious recipe! It came out perfect! I parbaked a store bought 9 inch deep dish crust for about 8 minutes – I didn’t want a soggy bottom and it worked out perfectly after baking 45 mins. There was a little too much batter and overflowed slightly so next time I will add the crab to pie first to spread evenly and then pour the batter over top until full. I didn’t have chives unfortunately but it didn’t lack in flavour! perfect with a nice tossed salad
So glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer :) Thanks so much!
This was perfect for our Christmas dinner. The quiche base bakes better than others that I’ve made and the fresh herbs take a little more time but are worth the effort. My husband cooked home fries with scallions and I also made both a tossed salad and a melon fruit salad. It all worked really well together.
So glad you enjoyed it, Laura and so perfect for a Christmas dinner. Sounds lovely! Thanks so much :)
Hi Jennifer, I made your quiche yesterday and it was delicious! I couldn’t find crab so I used a combination of Nordic shrimp and Bay scallops. Very tasty!
So glad to hear, Linda! Sounds delicious :) Thanks!
If I bake then refrigerate the day before serving, how long and at what temp should I warm?
Hi Ruthie, I would pop them into a 350F oven, loosely covered with foil. Should probably take only 10-15 minutes (I would take them out of the fridge for a bit before putting in the oven to re-warm, to speed up the warming. Enjoy!
Do you think this can be frozen unbaked
Hi Diane and yes, I think you can. I wouldn’t leave it in the freezer for too long though, as the quality will suffer with time.
Thanks for the quick reply. I have made this before for a company brunch and was loved by all. It would be nice to pull out of the freezer and pop in the oven when you are making for company. I love the affect the chives makes. Thank you
Do I not need to bake the crust at all before filling to prevent sogginess??
Hi Paula, I don’t, but if you prefer, you can pre-bake the empty shell for 5 or 6 minutes before filling.
I will be making this tomorrow for Christmas eve dinner. Can’t wait to try it!
Just shared this stunner on facebook, it’s perfect for an Easter brunch!
Thanks Sue!
Crab in my quiche is not something I could turn down:) The more fresh herbs the better, and I am all for Gruyere! So spring like too (or at least to me). Have a wonderful Easter weekend, Jennifer!
Thanks Milena and you, too!
I love everything about this! I never met a quiche I didn’t like!
Thanks Annie!
This is the perfect quiche for Easter brunch! Love all the spring herbs and chives! :)
Thanks Laura!
This sounds fantastic and looks like it comes from a fine French patisserie :)
Thanks Chris :)
I love that this one keeps well! Could make it in advance and have it all ready for when I have guests. I just so happen to have crab in the freezer so this one needs to happen soon :)
Thanks Dawn. I love having extra of this in the fridge. So easy to warm up for breakfast or lunch.
Perfect for Easter brunch Jennifer. And I’m going to keep this one for summer too when we catch all our fresh crabs!
Thanks Mary Ann and I’m jealous of your fresh crabs!
We’re all about crab here in Virginia so this is absolutely perfect! I love that you can serve quiche for any meal of the day – and bet this would be terrific for Easter brunch or the upcoming Mother’s Day celebration.
Thanks Tricia and yes, it would be great for so many occasions!